Psychology- memory

• What are the three main processes of memory?

  Encoding, storage, and retrieval
• What is encoding in the context of memory?

  Changing information into a form so it can be held in the brain
• What is visual encoding?

  Changing information by how it looks so it can be stored
• What is acoustic encoding?

  Changing information by how it sounds so it can be stored
• What is semantic encoding?

  Changing information by its meaning so it can be stored
• What is tactile encoding?

  Memory of what things feel like to touch
• What is olfactory encoding?

  Memory for smell
• What is storage in memory processes?

  Holding information in memory so that it can be retrieved later
• What is retrieval in memory processes?

  Locating and bringing back information into mind
• What are the types of retrieval?

  1. Recognition – identifying from options
  2. Cued recall – locating information with a cue
  3. Free recall – without cues
• What was the aim of Baddeley's study?

  To see if there was a difference in the type of encoding used in STM and LTM
• What method did Baddeley use in his study?

  Participants learned words that were similar or dissimilar in sound and meaning
• What were the results of Baddeley's study regarding similar sounding words?

  They were poorly recalled in STM
• What were the results of Baddeley's study regarding similar meaning words?

  They were poorly recalled in LTM
• What conclusion can be drawn from Baddeley's study?

  STM is encoded by sound and LTM by meaning
• What are the strengths of Baddeley's study?

  • Controlled experiment
  • Extraneous variables like hearing were controlled
• What are the weaknesses of Baddeley's study?

  • LTM may not have been adequately tested
  • STM is sometimes visual
• What is episodic memory?

  Memory for events from your life
• What is semantic memory?

  Memory of what things mean
• What is procedural memory?

  Memory of how to do things
• What are the two types of long-term memory?

  • Declarative: episodic and semantic
  • Non-declarative: procedural
• What evidence supports the different types of LTM?

  • Brain scans show different types relate to different brain locations
  • Amnesic patients like Clive Wearing support LTM types
• What are the limitations of the distinct types of LTM?

  • Distinctive types are difficult to separate
  • It may be an oversimplification
• What does the multi-store model of memory explain?

  How memory is arranged
• What are the three memory stores in the multi-store model?

  1. Sensory memory
  2. Short-term memory (STM)
  3. Long-term memory (LTM)
• What is the duration and capacity of sensory memory?

  Very short duration and large capacity
• What is the duration and capacity of short-term memory (STM)?

  Limited duration (30 seconds) and capacity (5-9 items)
• What type of coding is used in STM?

  Acoustic coding
• What role does rehearsal play in memory?

  Rehearsal keeps information in STM and transfers it to LTM
• What is the duration and capacity of long-term memory (LTM)?

  Unlimited capacity and stored up to a lifetime
• What supporting research exists for the multi-store model?

  • Baddeley's encoding research shows qualitative differences between STM and LTM
  • Primacy and recency effects support the model
• What are the limitations of the multi-store model?

  • Too simplistic with one STM and LTM store
  • Uses artificial materials like word lists
• What is the primacy effect?

  Words at the beginning are remembered more
• What is the recency effect?

  Words at the end are remembered more
• What was the aim of Murdock's study?

  To see if memory of words is affected by location in a list
• What method did Murdock use in his study?

  Participants listened to word lists and recalled words after each list
• What were the results of Murdock's study?

  Higher recall for the first words (primacy effect) and last words (recency effect)
• What conclusion can be drawn from Murdock's study?

  It shows the serial position effect and supports the MSM stores
• What are the strengths of Murdock's study?

  • High level of control in a lab setting
  • Concluded that position of words determined recall
• What are the weaknesses of Murdock's study?

  • Used artificial tasks with word lists
  • Lacks validity for real-life memory